Aishwarya Rai on marriage home & Abhishek with Subhash K Jha…

Tell me, how has marriage changed you?
Marriage is such a unique and beautiful experience in my life. I’ve found a wonderful new family.My maiden family and this family together provides me with more than enough happiness and security. What more could I ask for?

When I went back on the sets after marriage there was no change at all. There has been a normal flow before and after marriage. Everyone wants to know how marriage has changed my life. Nothing has changed at all!

Life has been one smooth flow. And though I didn’t plan such a marriage I wouldn’t want it any other way. It has been wonderful on both the personal and professional front.

I remember when I got engaged and went back on the sets of Jodhaa-Akbar in Karjat nobody paid any attention. They thought it was just another rumour.When I look back on the hours put in for Jodhaa-Akbar I feel it was all worth it.

Your other costume drama Umrao Jaan was where love happened between you and Abhishek.
(laughs) Now that you remind me of it, of course. These two great cinematic experiences. And if you add Guru to it, Abhishek and I came together through these.

Where do you go now? Will you be working selectively ?
When have I not been working selectively? I’ve been working selectively since Devdas.

I’m glad I’ve been choosing discreetly according to how much time I’ve on hand. That doesn’t change now. I’ve committed myself to a couple of films now.

I really don’t know if I’m going to get more selective. Because I never do more than three films a year. Let’s see what the future holds. So many films I’ve let go because of the time factor.

Abhishek told me you were willing to let go of Pink Panther because his grandmother was critically ill.
(falls silent). Firstly she was not just his Daadi but mine too.So I wanted to spend as much time with her as he did. Of course actors are greedy people. They like to do all sorts of roles that come their way.

However I’ve never been one to detach myself from reality. I’d not want my family life to take a backseat to my work. I genuinely love my husband, his parents who are now my parents and my own parents.

I want to be with my new family, get to know them better because I got to know them so late in life. However I also know my professional responsibilities. When I came from my honeymoon I went straight to the location for Jodhaa-Akbar. I’m lucky to be married into a family that’s the epitome of professionalism.

Of course we want to spend time together. But we can’t let work suffer…When Pink Panther was offered Dadimaa became really unwell. During Jodhaa I’d rush back to hospital as frequently as I could. I was reluctant. More so because this was an international project.

What do you mean?
Well in India the entertainment industry doesn’t only go by the commerce. We do operate from the heart. There’s room for domestic crisis in our film industry.

Overseas one is under serious contracts. Eventhough Abhishek encouraged me to take up Pink Panther I made sure I left room in my contract for visits back home. Because I did want to experience Karwa Chauth and Diwali.

Then I checked with my international manager to make sure that I could come back if, God forbid, Dadimaa was in an emergency.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has declined to co-star with Hollywood wonder-boy again.

This is the third time she has said no to the besotted Will Smith who in a BBC interview had raved about Rai-Bachchan, “She has this powerful energy where she doesn’t have to say anything, do anything, she can just stand there. Anything she’s making I’ll be there.”

Two years ago Will offered Aishwarya the comedy Hitch (later remade into Hindi with Salman Khan as Partner). She couldn’t do the film due to time constraints.

In quick succession, Aishwarya has turned down two Will Smith projects.

“That’s true,” she laughs. “I had to say no to Will for Tonight He Comes (Smith’s super-hero flick re-named John Hancock).I feel awful about it. But I’ve my priorities very straight. Yes, family always comes first.”

Contrary to reports Aishwarya didn’t decline another Will Smith project The Seven Pounds to celebrate Karwa Chauth with her husband Abhishek in Mumbai.

“That’s what they wrote in the US press …that I preferred to return to Mumbai to STARVE myself for a religious occasion than to meet Will for the film. That’s completely incorrect.

The script reading for The Seven Pounds was just after Diwali when Dadimaa’s (Mrs Teji Bachchan)’s health dipped drastically. So I didn’t make that trip out to LA for the reading with Will. Is that wrong? Not to me. I’d any day put family over career.”

So are Ash and Will star crossed? “When it has to happen it will happen. We’d love to work together. There’s something very charismatic about that actor. He gives off very nice vibes. He’s very adventurous as an actor.

He does I Am Legend and Pursuit Of Happiness at the same time. He’s an actor, rapper, and a great family man. He likes to be adventurous. I like that.”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has proved to all that she is the most elegant princess in tinsel town with her gorgeous look in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar.

After playing Jodhaa, now Ash is all set to play another classic role of Mumtaz Mahal opposite Ben Kingsley in the historical epic on the Taj Mahal.

But at the moment, all eyes are on the on and off screen thunderous chemistry of Ash-Abhishek in Maniratnam’s next film, which is reported to be a very intense love story.

As we wait to see the couple take off from where they left in Guru, the year 2008 really promises to be a good year with many romantic flavors to come! The other love story being talked of is the Raj Kumar Santoshi, Ranbir-Katrina starrer.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is pretty miffed these days as her allegedly topless picture had been flashed across various TV channels, few days back.

Rumour has it that these pictures were taken at a time when Ash was beginning her career in ad and and modelling industry during the mid 90’s where she reportedly posed for a magazine along with four, five models.

The names of the models in the magazine go as Milind Soman , Madhu Sapre , Ruchi Malhotra, Aishwarya Rai, Anu Verma, Coleen Khan. Atul Karleskar had reportedly shot the picture and Micky Contractor had done the make-up.

Abhishek Bachchan is apparantly upset over these ‘topless’ pictures and is keen to take drastic step and having a talk with his lawyers regarding this defamatory issue.

Ash has also taken the matter very seriously and released a statement saying that the pictures are fabricated and that she was never involved.

“She would never do something like that. You know the actress you are talking about.

No matter at which time in her profession they say these pictures were taken we can guarantee you that they are just the work some of some publicity hungry individual,” says Ash’s manager, “She has made it clear that she will take action against anyone who publishes them on the assumption that they are hers. And so will her close ones.”

He also adds that this new rumour hasn’t gone done well with the actress or the rest of her family.

The picture reportedly shows Ash in a pair of tiny denim shorts with her back to the camera with other models as well some other ones that are much more bold.

The much-vaunted and excruciatingly-postponed ‘Unforgettable’ concert tours featuring the Bachchans, Amitabh, Aishwarya and Abhishek with Jaya probably being coaxed in for a friendly appearance, is finally on this July, thereby putting an end to all speculation regarding the financial and creative feasibility of this never-before celebration of familial bonhomie

Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar were supposed to join the ‘Unforgettable’ tour.

They opted out citing lack of time as the reason for their unavailibity for the joyous jamboree that would take the Bachchans through several European and American countries for a good two months.

Now the final list of entertainers joining the Bachchans are Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.

Speaking excitedly about her first family tour Aishwarya says, “Yes, it’s on in July and August. It’s always wonderful to be on stage with Abhishek and Pa (the Big B).

I remember how wonderful it when we did Kajra re at the IIFA two years ago. That one act featuring the three of us was a rock concert by itself. It was fantastic!

Now going on stage as Amitji’s daughter-in-law and Abhishek’s wife, would make it doubly fantastic.”

Though Jaya isn’t much of a dancer, the while Bachchan clan loves to groove.

Exults Ash basking in the after-glow of playing Jodha, ” You know, we really do have a good time on stage. I’ve watched Pa’s earlier concerts, and I’ve seen how he rivets the audience.

Even now when he chooses to go on stage once in a while, he truly has a blast. Abhishek has a party on stage. All three of us love live concerts. And we genuinely love music and dance. That’s one thing we have in common.

So we’re going to have a grand party on stage. And I hope the audience enjoys it as well.”

And would Kajra re still be part of the Bachchan Bahu’s on-stage repertoire?

“Is it possible for the three of us to go on stage and not do that song? Sharing screen and stage space with my husband and father-in-law has always been very very special.

I mean it just can’t get any more special than that for me. It doesn’t matter how many shows we do. Just the three of us interacting with a live audience is a very special occasion.

We’ll be up there for the audience, and the audience hopefully will be cheering for us,” says the Bachchan bahu before signing off to look after her domestic duties at Jalsa.

From a sucessful model to heatthrob of millions onscreen, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has come a long way. And now she is willing to share her journey of life with her fans all over the globe.

We hear that Ash is all set to write her biography with the help of her morther, Vrinda Rai, who is a writer too.

While Aishwarya’s business manager, Hari Singh, remained non-commital about the veracity of facts but he didn’t reject the news either.

“Time and again, she has been approached by many authors and publishing houses. But Ash never considered the same, considering her shooting commitments. Aishwarya is definitely not interested in commissioning her biography to anyone. She wants to pen it herself,” says Hari Singh.

“She writes personal notes on the daily basis. Considering her career graph, the idea of a biography makes absolute sense,” he adds.

So is she planning to take a long sabbatical from showbiz, just like her mother in law?

Well it seems so, as she has has decided not to be a part of Ketan Mehta’s magnum opus Jhansi Ki Rani.

Tells Ash, “Ketan spoke to me nearly two years back when he was very keen on making this film with me. But thereafter, he has not been in touch with me and I don’t think that as of now I am working in Jhansi Ki Rani.

At the moment, Ash is only looking forward to her Hollywood film Pink Panther and Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj.

It can’t be anything but destiny. Aishwarya Rai who will be playing Mumtaz Mahal in Ben Kingsley’s film on the Taj Mahal, brought in her 34th birthday in Agra with her real-life Shah Jahan.

“You make it sound so dramatic and romantic,” she said on the eve of her birthday.

“It’s nothing like that. I’m bringing it in with Abhishek, ma and pa. Abhishek was shooting an ad in Agra, so, I joined him with Ma (mom-in-law Jaya Bachchan). And now Pa (father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan) has also joined us. So, you could say it’s a perfect birthday by the Taj Mahal, though not quite at the Taj Mahal-have you seen the crowds over there?-we can’t risk going to the Taj Mahal, but a stone’s throw away,” said Ash.

On Nov 1, her birthday Aishwarya was on top of the world. “My birthday in Agra was just too special. Someone up there has answered all my prayers.” It’s been a hectic time for Aishwarya.

“I came back from the US from shooting Pink Panther in time for Karwa Chauth. God knows how the TV cameras got our shots, probably from neighbour’s premise. We’re just leading our lives normally. I don’t know why or how the press has this hunger to know about us,” said Aishwarya.

“This is my first birthday after marriage and therefore a very special occasion. But that apart, you know me. Spending time with the people I love is my greatest joy. I’m in a very happy place. And I don’t mean Agra.

“Just being with three people who mean so much to me makes my life complete. God has been kind. There’s great fulfillment in love and in being loved, by not just my husband but his parents who are now my parents. We’re one family and we all love one another,” she said.

After her marriage the glow on her face would make the sunglass industry thrive, there was laughter again. “Well if you say I glow, it’s the glow of happiness. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

She’ll be heading straight to Karjat after her birthday for the last two days’ shooting of Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodha-Akbar. Ash says she is excited about doing the Taj Mahal film with Ben Kingsley.

“On the first day of shooting The Last Legion with him he walked up to me he said, ‘I’ve this idea.’ And he told me about the Shah Jahan-Mumtaz Mahal film that he’d like to do. You know, how many Taj Mahal scripts have come my way.

“I told Ben there have been many occasions when this subject has come to me. But there was something exceptionally interesting about the way he approached the subject. And yes, the whole process of discussing the subject with him was participative. After The Last Legion I kind of put it in the back of my mind. But earlier this year he confirmed it was on,” said the pretty actress.

At the moment it’s Jodha-Akbar that occupies Aishwarya’s mind. “You know me. Once I get into a subject I’m totally into it. But yes, I’m looking forward to working with Sir Ben again.”

What does she want for her birthday? She thinks a while and says, “Just blessings and good wishes. Apart from that God has given me everything.”

After considering her role in the next Dharma Productions venture, Aishwarya Rai has decided to opt out of the project.

There has been a cast reshuffle in Karan Johar’s next production that will be directed by his assistant Tarun Mansukhani. The yet untitled movie was initially slated to star Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan in lead roles. Ash had apparently said yes to the film after hearing the screenplay.

But she changed her mind after the script and her role in it was narrated to her in detail.

Reports say Ash’s role in the film had a sexy angle.

Being now a married woman and being a Bachchan bahu, Ash is not game for such roles anymore. In fact, it is popularly believed that the Bachchans did not really approve of Ash’s hot act in Dhoom 2.

Unwilling to play the role in Karan’s production, Ash reportedly had a very frank talk with Johar and explained her point of view to him.
Karan says he respects Ash’s decision. So now Priyanka Chopra has been roped in to fill Ash’s place in the film. Priyanka has previously worked with Abhishek in Bluffmaster and she is also doing Drona with him.

As for Ash, she has no dearth of films with her hubby.

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan made an official announcement of their upcoming ‘Unforgettable Tour’ in Toronto on Saturday.
The Unforgettable Tour, which celebrates the world of Bollywood, will kick off with a performance by Aishwarya and Abhishek in the summer of 2008 in Toronto.

The actors were greeted by a mob of fans when they made the announcement about the tour on Saturday.

The Unforgettable Tour is an 18-country series of stage shows by Bollywood’s hottest stars. Set to begin next summer, the tour is scheduled to stop in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, London, Cairo, Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“If all goes well, and god willing, we will premiere the Unforgettable Tour in the city of Toronto because we feel that it is the best city to premiere the tour in,” Abhishek said during a press conference that also included Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, a Canadian website reported.

The Bachchans said The Unforgettable Tour also aims to raise awareness about global warming.

“Terrible, terrible things are happening to this earth of ours and we want to use this platform to try to acquaint people about what global warming is about and what they can do,” said Abhishek, adding, “we’re using this opportunity to spread the word.”

Abhishek, the son of Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan , said Toronto was home to a large number of fans of Indian cinema. It was also where the Abhishek and Aishwarya, who were married in April, premiered their film Guru in January.

The globe-trotting tour will feature concerts showcasing the lavish song-and-dance numbers from popular Bollywood films. The three Bachchans and other South Asian film stars are set to take the stage during the shows.

Lara Dutta , Bipasha Basu and Ritesh Deshmukh were among those on the line-up when the musical extravaganza was first announced in June during festivities around the International Indian Film Academy Awards at Sheffield in Britain.

Refuting the reports about Ash’s pregnancy, Abhishek Bachchan has made clear it amply clear that his wife is too busy to start a family.

In fact, she is going to be very busy shooting for the next two years. Just after completing the shooting of Sarkar Raj, Ash will fly to Europe for her third Hollywood venture which is a sequel to Hollywood blockbuster ‘Pink Panther’.

It is also reported that Ash will be playing the female lead opposite Steve Martin. Actors Andy Garcia, John Cleese and Alfred Molina have also joined the crew of Columbia Pictures/MGM’s ‘The Pink Panther 2’.

Ash will star as a detective along with ‘Spiderman 2’ villain Molina and Garcia, who join forces with bumbling French police detective Jacques Clouseau, to be played by Martin, to catch the thief who has been stealing artifacts around the world.

Cleese will play Clouseau’s superior chief inspector Charles Dreyfus in the movie, according to reports.

Agent Cody Banks director Harald Zwart will be directing the film, which was penned by Scott Neustadter, Mike Weber, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and Steve Martin.

The film will be produced by Robert Simonds and Ira Shuman will be executive producer.

It is also learnt that Ash will start shooting for a film with Abhishek to be directed by Tarun Mansukhani for Karan Johar ’s Dharma Productions early next year.

With such a packed shooting schedule ahead Ash might just be glowing with work only.

Apoorva Lakhia ’s attempts to sign up Abhishek Bachchan and Vivek Oberoi for his next film titled ‘Mission To Istanbul’ have come a cropper.

That is because of the junior Bachchan’s refusal to do the film.

Lakhia just cannot make a film without one of the Bachchans being in it. So Abhishek, a dear friend, was an automatic choice for the film that features four heroes.

After two successive flops, Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost and Ek Ajnabee Lakhia hit bull’s eye with Shootout At Lokhandwala.

Lakhia attributes the success of the film to Vivek, whom he now considers as his lucky mascot.
Consequently, Vivek too was an automatic choice for a lead role.

However, Abhishek refused to do the film and that set the rumours that it is because they have a history named Aishwarya Rai.

Strict security will be in place in India’s film capital when Bollywood belle Aishwarya Rai weds screen legend son Abhishek Bachchan this week, with fans unlikely to catch even a glimpse of the event.

The three days of wedding ceremonies are due to begin on Wednesday at the Bachchan residence in Mumbai, India’s bustling financial and entertainment hub.

Fire extinguishers will be on hand in case crazed fans of the couple set themselves on fire in disappointment or try to perform Hindu fire ceremonies to break the marriage, the Mumbai Mirror tabloid reported.

About 500 police, some with metal detectors, would also be in place, the daily reported.

Rai, 33, is a former Miss World, while Abhishek’s father is actor Amitabh Bachchan, who enjoys iconic status in India.

The media have reported extensively on the wedding arrangements and guest list, but the wedding was likely to be a quiet and private affair, with only a handful of Bollywood stars and close friends invited.

Media reports attributed the likely low-key arrangements to the poor health of Abhishek’s grandmother Teji.

Four-page wedding invitations — with the couple’s initials “AA” embossed on the cover — have been sent out to select friends.

Bollywood heart-throb Shah Rukh Khan — a younger rival of Amitabh Bachchan in the national popularity stakes — and Rai’s former actor boyfriend Salman Khan have not been invited.

“I have not been invited to the wedding. Regardless, I wish the couple best,” Shah Rukh Khan told Mumbai tabloid Mid-day.

Those lucky enough to get invited kept mum.

“The Bachchans have asked us to keep this wedding a private issue and therefore we are maintaining silence,” said actor Suniel Shetty, who was invited to the exclusive function.

The country’s powerful Gandhi family, led by the country’s ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, had also been invited, the media reported.

But the family was seen as unlikely to attend, having reportedly fallen out with the Bachchans over politics.

Among those on the guest list are Bollywood’s major players including director Yash Chopra and filmmaker Karan Johar, as well as industrialist Anil Ambani — whose father built the country’s biggest listed firm, Reliance Industries.

Media reports said that jewellery for Rai had been specially brought from eastern Kolkata city, while henna used to decorate the bride’s hands came from the western desert state of Rajasthan.

The bride will also be wearing silk saris from the city of Varanasi, in northern Uttar Pradesh state.

The ceremonies will begin with the traditional sangeet, or music ceremony, during which relatives of the couple sing and dance.

The henna ceremony — during which the bride’s hands are painted — will be held at Rai’s house, called La Mer, on Thursday.

After the main wedding ceremony on Friday, Rai will take part in another tradition in which the bride bids an emotional farewell to her parents.

The pair — dubbed “Abhiash” by local media in a melding of their two names in the same fashion as “Brangelina” for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — were engaged in January.

Abhishek is also an actor and together they have scored two hits in recent months, with their latest film “Guru” collecting 850 million rupees (19.7 million dollars) at the box office in January.

Last year, “Dhoom 2″ was the highest grossing film in India, collecting 1.65 billion rupees (38 million dollars) in the last quarter of the year.

The impending and the most looked forward wedding in Bollywood for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai is believed to be on the 19th of March. Rajasthan is setting the red carpet ready for it.

Umaid Bhavan Palace might be the venue for the much awaited wedding. Sources said that Abhishek Bachchan has sent two of his friends to finish the initial formalities of booking the Hotel.

Besides Umaid Bhavan, four more hotels at Jodhpur and Jaisalmer will be booked. Before that though, Umaid Bhavan will play host to the much talked about post-wedding parties of Liz Hurley and Nayar. So lets hear the wedding bells ringing.

The British Film Director, Gurinder Chaddha who directed the film “Bend It Like Beckham” wants to name her twin babies after top Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

“If I have a boy and a girl I will call them Ash and Abhishek,” Gurinder Chaddha, referring to Aishwarya’s nickname, was quoted as saying in the Times of India.

Chaddha is pregnant with twins and is expected to give birth in July.

Rai, a former Miss World, and Bachchan are two of Bollywood’s biggest stars and have been dubbed “India’s Brangelina” after the famous Hollywood duo. They got engaged in January, setting to rest feverish speculation in the media about their hush-hush romance. Chaddha, who directed Rai in “Bride and Prejudice”, said she had kept her next big project, “Dallas”, on hold until the babies are born.

“No film experience can compare with this,” she said. “I wanted to pull out of the project. But the directors insisted that I do it.”

Dutt was recently heard telling a friend how thrilled he is about Abhishek settling down in life and how this new phase will bring him a lot of good luck. Well, with the kind of love they have for each other, we won’t be surprised if kid bro Abhishek asks Sanju to be his best man on the Big day!

It’s raining cars for the Bachchan family. First, son Abhishek was presented with an expensive Bentley by his dad on his birthday, and now Big B is the proud owner of a State-of-the-art Rolls Royce presented by filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra for his powerhouse performance in Eklavya – The Royal Guard. But we hear that the Bachchans are in a bit of a dilemma. They don’t have enough parking slots at their bungalow to accommodate their growing number of cars. How about presenting them parking slots instead of cars next?

Abhishek Bachchan, who has been more in news than ever this year, celebrated his birthday on Monday, February 5. The celebrations took place in style at the Bachchan residence Jalsa at Juhu, Mumbai.

Abhishek, who was busy shooting in Rajasthan for Drona, dropped in just to be with his family on the special day. As crowds waited in anticipation outside the bungalow with gifts and bouquets, AB and his baby made a grand entry. A humble Amitabh said to the crowds that his son only needed blessings, no gifts. As the charming actor turned 31 yesterday, papa dearest decided to give him a very special surprise. Amitabh Bachchan gifted his son a brilliant white Bentley. It is said that the Rs. 2 crore worth gift had a Delhi license plate.

After the celebrations, the Bachchan family left for Lilavati Hospital at Bandra to meet up with Teli Bachchan. Abhishek’s fiance Aishwarya Rai was also present there. Of course, she did not leave without taking a test drive in her fiance’s brand new car!

Amitabh Bachchan, the former host of the popular game show KBC has blamed the media for trying to create a stir between him and the current host Sharukh Khan.

It is now known that the two superstars of bollywood are avoiding eye contacts with each other.

Amitabh said that the media wants to sell commercially and hence made up a false hype and news. He went on to say that Sharukh is doing a good job in hosting the KBC. Amitabh acknowledged Sharukh’s comments that he is young and sexier. Though Amitabh’s comment was not without sarcasm, he added that age would catch up with every one and it would be fair to compare Sharukh with him only after he reaches 65. Amitabh also stated clearly that there are no problems with Sharukh Khan and would continue to act with him if a good script happens.

Though the critics of the show say that the popularity of the game show is on the decline, KBC and its team are refuting these charges and are showering praise on Sharukh for his wonderful work and down to earth attitude.

The most-talked about Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai on Friday sought blessings of the deity at the famous Vindhyavasini Temple, making their first public appearance together after their engagement.

The Bachchan family led by Amitabh Bachchan, which arrived here to participate in the 51st birthday celebrations of Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh, offered prayers at the temple of Maa Bhagwati, seeking her blessings in the run-up to the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding.

In what is being seen as a pre-nuptial ceremony, Abhishek and Aishwarya performed ‘parikarama’ (circumambulation) of the deity and also performed the ‘Bhagwati Pooja’.

The two were alone in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and they accepted the ‘kumkum’ given to them as ‘prasad’. Abhishek applied ‘kumkum’ on Aishwarya’s forehead and also applied some on his own forehead.

The two also offered a gold ‘chhatra’ (umbrella), nose ring and anklets during the ‘pooja’ in which besides the Bachchan family, Amar Singh and his wife Pankaja Kumari Singh were present ahead of a function in which 51 couples were united in wedlock on the occasion of Singh’s 51st birthday.

One of the 51 couples was also introduced to Amitabh and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav by Amar Singh. Amitabh also performed ‘kanya daan’ at the function.

On Friday, Amitabh in an interview to a TV channel had described reports about the ‘mangal dosh’ (defect) as “speculation”.

AISHWARYA IS DOMESTICATED, SAYS BIG B

Legendary Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan said in an interview broadcast on Saturday he considers his future daughter-in-law, leading actress Aishwarya Rai, “domesticated” and a “simple girl”.

Asked what it was that impressed him about Rai, Bachchan told the NDTV news channel: “I think she’s a lot simpler than what is made out of her. She’s a very simple girl, very traditional. She’s also very domesticated.”

SALMAN CONGRATULATES ABHISHEK

Salman Khan again showed recently that he has a big heart.

Salman may be a former boyfriend of the gorgeous Aishwarya Rai, but with Abhishek Bachchan he has no enmity and like everybody in Bollywood, he also respects mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan a lot.

So when the news of Abhishek marrying Ash came to the fore, Salman sent a congratulatory SMS to Abhishek days after his engagement to Ash.

Though the contents of the message are not known, but definitely it was in good spirit.

Would Vivek Oberoi now dare to follow Salman’s way as before Ash fell for Abhishek, she was dating Vivek.

Celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have congratulated Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai on her engagement with Abhishek Bachchan.

Pitt and Jolie wished Aishwarya all the best and said ‘we hope to see her back in Hollywood real soon’, Sheeraz Hasan, founder of www.Hollywood.tv, said in a press release.

Aishwarya featured in the Hollywood film ‘Mistress of Spices’ directed by Paul Mayeda Berges.

Pitt, who came to India to shoot ‘A Mighty Heart’, about the life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, said that Indians were very loving and spiritual and he and Jolie had loved every minute they spent in the country.

Jolie also showed keen interest in Indian films and said she would love to star in a Bollywood film.

Hollywood’s hottest pair had met Hasan at 64th Annual Golden Globes event Monday where Pitt’s ‘Babel’ won best motion picture-drama trophy.

Bollywood hearthrob Aishwarya Rai and actor Abhishek Bachchan on Sunday night got engaged to each other at a quiet ceremony in Mumbai, setting the stage for the marriage of the film industry`s most talked-about couple. The much-awaited news was confirmed by Amitabh Bachchan himself. The wedding will take place sometime in February.

The engagement between Abhishek, who turns 31 on February 5 next, and 33-year-old Aishwarya, was held at the residence of the Bachchans in suburban Juhu, the actress` secretary Hari Singh said.

The event, attended by family members and close friends of the Bachchan and Rai families, took place between 8.30pm and 9pm, hours after Aishwarya and Abhishek returned here from New York from the promotion of their just-released film “Guru” directed by Mani Ratnam.

Apart from the entire Bachchan clan, family friend Amar Singh was also present on the occasion.

Sources said Abhishek put a ring on the finger of Aishwarya to mark the engagement but no date has been set for the wedding between the two of Bollywood`s hottest stars.

The engagement came against the backdrop of rave reviews of “Guru”, giving a major boost to the careers of Aishwarya and Abhishek.

Astrologer Chandrashekar Swami had claimed earlier that the duo would get married between January 14 and February 27 in 2007.

Amid speculations that Ash was a manglik , the couple performed corrective puja at an ancient Shiva Temple in Varanasi, in which the entire Bachchan family was present.

By taking Aishwarya to Varanasi where Amitabh Bachchan’s father Harivanshrai Bachchan’s annual rituals are observed, the Bachchans had sent a message to the rest of the country that Aishwarya was now part of their family.

Both families were going by astrological predictions and suggestions.

There had been considerable speculation in the media about marriage between Abhishek and Aishwarya.

Amitabh had said in London on November 9 last year that he wanted Abhishek to settle with a “good girl” of his choice.

Abhishek and Aishwarya have starred together in Hindi films like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Na Kaho, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2.

However, they got their first hit as a pair in Mani Ratnam`s “Guru”, which has received tremendous response by the audience.